High five for couscous

It happens frequently in this Everyday Baker's mind. The massive first world dilemma - what on Earth am I going to cook for dinner? Once I settle on something to take out of the freezer to defrost, it's like I can relax, crisis averted for another day. Until the late afternoon when I realise - what are we going to have with that chicken/lamb chops/steak? Why hello couscous, my convenient, versatile and quick-to-prepare old pal!
We love us some couscous in this household. It's usually the instant San Remo variety, which I simply measure into a bowl (generally about one cup), add some salt and olive oil, fill with hot water (about 1cm over the top of the couscous), wrap with cling wrap and leave for a few minutes before fluffing and separating with a fork.
That. Is. It.
So easy!

The other night I decided to mix it up a little and make a couscous salad to accompany our lamb chops, still very simple, but here is the recipe. I didn't have any on hand, but some roasted flaked almonds or walnuts would work really well in this salad too.

Couscous Salad

Ingredients
1 cup couscous
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, cubed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
mixed salad leaves
100g fetta, crumbled
2 tablespoons parsley & mint
lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Place onion and carrot on a baking tray, sprinkle with cumin, sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven to roast for 20 minutes or until golden.
Prepare couscous according to packet directions. Place in bowl and mix with roasted veggies, salad leaves and herbs.
Mix lemon juice with olive oil and drizzle over salad. Crumble over fetta and serve!

Variation on the dressing:
For a delicious creamy dressing, simply mix one teaspoon of tahini, two teaspoons of vinegar and half a cup of natural yoghurt. Whisk with a good glug of olive oil to emulsify. Yum!